BLOWING ROCK — The popular Linn Cove Viaduct in the Grandfather Mountain area of the Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed for surface repaving and bridge maintenance from March 1-May 24, just as the spring flowers and tourists start to appear.

The Linn Cove Viaduct, at Milepost 304, is about 80 miles northeast of Asheville. During the maintenance work, a 7-mile section of the parkway will be completely closed to traffic. The section of the Tanawha hiking trail below the bridge will also be closed.

A traffic detour will be put in place from Milepost 298.6 at Holloway Mountain Road to Milepost 305.1 at U.S. 221.

The roadway should open in time for Memorial Day Weekend, as will the Linn Cove Visitor Center. Road work at high elevations must take place in a small window between weather conditions suitable for paving projects, and to cause as little impact to the visitor season as possible, said parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon.

The viaduct, or bridge, sits at an elevation of about 4,300 feet. It was built in the mid-1980s to skirt out and around Grandfather Mountain to protect its fragile plant life, rather than cutting the road into the side of the mountain as much of the parkway was built in Western North Carolina.

This is the first time it is being paved since construction more than 30 years ago, at a cost of $1.9 million, Brandon said.

The views along the winding viaduct are a huge tourist draw to the parkway, which is the most visited site in the National Park Service. More than 16 million people visited the parkway last year.

“The viaduct is one of the most iconic spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views are amazing. It’s one of the most scenic drives you’ll ever find,” said Frank Ruggiero, marketing director for Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the private company that manages the attractions including the Mile-High Swinging Bridge.

The Linn Cove Viaduct in the Grandfather Mountain area of the Blue Ridge Parkway is showing fall color, at an elevation of 4,200 feet.(Photo: Courtesy of Skip Sickler)

The counter closest to the viaduct calculates an average of 300,000 visitors annually over the past 10 years.

The viaduct provides a direct route to the Grandfather Mountain, as well as to the hiking trails of Grandfather Mountain State Park.

“Naturally we’re a little sad to see it closed, but these are necessary repairs. People can still access the mountain from U.S. 221. We’re a little sad people won’t get the whole High Country Experience this spring, but hope they come back when it’s done and enjoy the ride in the clouds.”

The viaduct is commonly known as the “missing link” in the completion of the entire 469-mile parkway, which starts in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and carves through the Blue Ridge Mountains to its terminus at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee.

The parkway was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps starting in 1935 as a scenic motor road.

As of 2017, the parkway had 235.3 miles of pavement that are at least 20 years old. Of those, 194.8 miles are at least 30 years old. Industry standards estimate the pavement life of roads such as the parkway is about 20 years, said parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon.

The viaduct paving is the start to the parkway’s year-long road repaving and preservation projects, including work north of Craggy Gardens to the Pisgah Inn to U.S. 276 — Mileposts 359-413 — and from Devils’ Courthouse at Milepost 424 to the end of the parkway at Milepost 469, April through September.

The Linn Cove Viaduct is often referred to as an “engineering marvel” as it seems to float around Grandfather Mountain. It is 1,243 feet long, contains 153 segments weighing 50 tons each, and is supported by seven permanent piers.

The Linn Cove Viaduct under construction on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Grandfather Mountain in this May 15, 1983 photo. The bridge is often referred to as the parkway's "missing link" since it was the last piece of the road to be completed. Parkway construction started in 1935.(Photo: Courtesy of Hugh Morton)

Gates will be located at MP 303.6, Wilson Creek Overlook on the north and MP 305.1, U.S. 221 on the south end of the work zone. Within this area, the parkway will be closed to all uses including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to ensure the safety of staff and visitors.

During the closure, crews will remove and replace the asphalt pavement, waterproofing membrane and joints on the bridge and repair the supporting structure, stone curb, railing and drainage features.

The Blue Ridge Parkway inventory of paved roads includes bridges, tunnels, parking areas, spur roads, service roads, campground and picnic area roads, many of which exceed recommended life cycles for pavement and are in need of repairs estimated at more than $300 million.

Including the roadwork, the parkway has a total of some $500 million in deferred maintenance projects.

Most funding for parkway roadwork comes from the Highway Trust Fund, which is derived from a federal fuel tax. The Blue Ridge Parkway annually identifies projects and competes for these funds to repair and maintain park roads.